Device for guiding an ammunition belt



April 17, 1962 w 3,029,706

DEVICE FOR GUIDING AN AMMUNITION BELT Filed March 25, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 v Fig.7 '4

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DEVICE FOR GUIDING AN AMMUNITION BELT Filed March 25. 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 2 2 26 25 32 Ila 33 20 13a Htrm nn Y INVENTORWMJOZMJVIZFIVQ aezais Patented Apr. 1?, i962 3,029,706 DEVICE FORGUIDING AMMUNITION BELT Hermann Wey, Wallisellen, Zurich, Switzerland,assignor to Machine Tool Works Oerlikon, Administration Company,Zurich-Oerlikon, Switzerland, a company of Switzerland Filed Mar. 25,1959,.Ser. No. 801,934 Claims priority, application Switzerland Apr. 3,1958 7 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) The present invention relates to a device forguiding an ammunition belt between the outlet opening of an ammunitioncontainer for such beltand and a supply channel connected to a weapon,which can be laid in elevation. v

In known devices of this kind the ammunition belt is guided between theoutlet duct of the ammunition container and the weapon by a fixedchannel connected to the latter. The pivot axis must then lie'coaxiallyto the elevation laying axis of the weapon. The strong twisting of thebelt occurring at the juncture at high elevations of the weapon gives,however, often rise to stoppages in the transport of the belt,particularly when the same has to be deflected at the juncture in yetanother direction.

The invention has the principal object of improving the guiding of thesaid ammunition belt from the said ammunition container to the saidweapon, and more particularly of reducing the twisting of said belt atthe juncture between the said container and the said supply duct.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent laterfrom this specification and accompanying drawings, I provide a devicefor guiding the ammunition belt to the said weapon comprising incombination:. an ammunition container having an outlet opening for thesaid belt, a supply duct connected to the said weapon, a disc mountedrotatably about an axis co-axial to the elevation laying axis of thesaid weapon between the said outlet and the said supply duct and havinga passage opening for the said belt, and curved guidesheets mounted onthe said disc, the said guide sheets and passage opening bounding anintermediate duct connecting the said outlet opening to the said supplyduct.

Preferably this device comprises a reduction gearing transmitting a.turning movement of the said weapon about its elevation laying axis tothe said disc in the same sense of rotation but through a reduced angle.

These andother features of my saidinvention will be clearly understoodfrom the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof givenby way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a gun with ammunition container in plan view.

FIG. 2 shows the cartridge belt guide between the ammunition containerand the weapon in section on the line II-II of FIG. 1, on a largerscale.

FIG. 3 is a section of the disc on the line III-HI of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the drive of the disc, on yeta larger scale.

In FIG. 1, on the rotatable ring 1 of the upper carriage of a gun, theweapon 2 is carried in a manner not shown in detail. The upper guncarriage can be swung all round with the. weapon about the azimuthlaying axis Z. Y is the elevation laying axis of the gun. From theammunition container 4 connected to the upper gun carriage theammunition belt is passed through the supply duct 6 into the belt feederdevice 3 of the weapon 2.

According to FIG. 2 the belt is guided upward from the ammunitioncontainer 4 by the outlet duct 5, which has its longitudinal sidedirected parallel to the weapon. A circular guide track 8 is connectedto the upper portiori of this duct, the axis of which track coincideswith the elevation laying axis Y produced. A supply duct 6 ofrectangular cross section is connected at one of its ends to the beltfeeder device 3 of the gun Z, the entrance opening of which is arrangedat a certain distance from the elevation laying axis. The other end ofthis supply duct is enlarged in a drum-shape. A flange 9 imposed on theguide track 8 engages into a groove 19 machined into the outer wall 7aof this enlargement and acts as a guide andcentering means for the guideduct 6 which is connected to the weapon, rotatably about the elevationlaying axis.

As a connection between the outlet duct 5 of the ammunition containerand the entry into the supply duct 6 an intermediate duct 19 is providedwhich is fixedly connected to a disc 11. This disc, together with thesaid intermediate duct, is rotatable about an axis-lying co-axially tothe elevation laying axis, in that rollers 12 are journalled atitscircumference which can roll on the said guide track. In the disc apassage 13 is cleared for the cartridge belt 14-, which passageis'directed transversely of the axis rotation of said disc and formspart of the intermediate duct 19, a roller 16 being journalled rotatablyabout an axle 15 parallel to this passage in an enlargement' of thelatter and serving for the deflection of the said belt. This rollerprojects so far into the said passage that the axes of the cartridgesmoving over the same approximately intersect the axis of rotation of thesaid disc. The produced axis of the straight portion of the supply ductissuing into the enlargement 7 intersects the axis of rotation of thedisc in the middle plane thereof. The faces 17 and 18 of thesemi-circular wall 5a of the outlet duct and of the drumshapeenlargement 7 of the supply duct serve as lateral guides for the disc11. The intermediate duct 19, which is movable together with the disc,is bounded on the one side by guide sheets 20, 21 fixed to the disc, andon the other side by a guide sheet 22 running tangentially towards theside wall of the outlet duct, by the upper side 13a of the passage andby the surface of the roller 16. The guide sheet 20 is turned upincreasingly in front. The enlargement of the intermediate ductincreasing in size towards the supply duct allows the twisting of thebelt, and a corresponding design of the supply duct entry permitstheguiding. of the belt into the same. I g

On the wall 5a of the outlet duct a bracket 23 is mounted which reachesthrough a window 11a of the disc and to which the two axles 24 and 25(FIGS. 3 and 4) are fixedly connected. A lug 26 is imposed upon theseaxles. A further lug 27 is fixed on the axle 24. On an axle 28 arrangedbetween these lugs an intermediate gear, pinion 31 is journalled, whichis in mesh on the one hand with a pinion 30 journalled on the axle 24and on the other hand with a gear journalled on the axle 25. The gear 32is moreover connected to a pinion 33, which rolls on an internallytoothed segment 34 fixed to the disc 11. The drive is efiected from aninternally toothed segment 29 connected to the side wall of the drum 7and in mesh with the pinion 30. Thereby the rotational movement of thesupply duct 6 connected to the weapon is transmitted to the disc 11 insuch a manner that the latter turns in the same sense but only afraction,

conveniently half, the angle of rotation of the supply duct.

The twisting of the ammunition belt reduced by the described meansaccording to the invention can take place in the very short intermediateduct portion between the roller 16 and the entry into the supply duct,and allows a faultless transport of the belt even at high elevations.

While I have described herein and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings what may be considered a typical and particularly usefulembodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I donot limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described andillustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled inthe art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for guiding an ammunition belt comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition container for an ammunitionbelt, an outlet duct fixed to said container, an intermediate ductadjacent to said supply duct and to said outlet duct to form togetherwith said outlet duct and said supply duct a guide track for said belt,said intermediate duct mounted rotatably about said elevation layingaxis and being rotatable relative to said supply duct and a gearconnection between said gun and said intermediate duct to transmit aturning movement of said gun about its elevation laying axis to saidintermediate duct in the same sense of rotation but through a reducedturning angle.

2. A device for guiding an ammunition belt comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition container having an outlet duct,said supply duct and said outlet duct having enlarged end portions, saidend portions being pivotally connected together and forming a chamber,an ammunition orienting disc disposed rotatably about said elevationlaying axis in said chamber and a gear connection between said gun andsaid disc to adjust the latter proportionately to said elevation of saidgun.

3. A device for guiding an ammunition belt comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition container for an ammunitionbelt, an outlet duct fixed to said container, an intermediate duct, saidsupply duct and said outlet duct having enlarged end portions, said endportions being pivotally connected together and forming a chamber, anammunition orienting disc having a passage opening for said belt, curvedguide sheets mounted on both sides of said disc, said disc forming withits passage opening and together with said guide sheets saidintermediate duct, the latter being disposed rotatably about saidelevation laying axis in said chamber to form together with said outletduct and with said supply duct a guide track for said belt, and a gearconnection between said gun and said intermediate duct to transmit aturning movement of said gun about its elevation laying axis to saidintermediate duct in the same sense of rotation but through a reducedangle of about one to two.

4. A device for guiding an ammunition belt comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition container having an outlet duct,said supply duct and said outlet duct having enlarged end portions, saidend portions being pivotally connected together and forming a chamber,an ammunition orienting disc disposed rotatably about said elevationlaying axis in said chamber, a bracket in said chamber fixed to saidenlarged end portion of said outlet duct, a first rack segment in saidchamber fixed to said enlarged end portion of said supply duct, a secondrack segment in said chamber fixed to said disc, said disc having aWindow, said bracket reaching through said Window, a reduction gearingsupported on said bracket in mesh with said first and second segments,said reduction gearing forming together with said first and secondsegments a gear connection between said gun and said disc to adjust thelatter proportionately to said elevation of said gun.

5. A device for guiding an ammunition belt, comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition belt, an ammunition orientingdisc disposed adjacent an ammunition belt, an ammunition orienting discdisposed adjacent said supply duct forming together with the latter aguide track for said belt, said orienting disc having an axis coincidingwith said elevation laying axis and being rotatable about said elevationlaying axis relative to said supply duct, a driving connection betweensaid gun and said orienting disc, said driving connection including areduction gearing transmitting a turning movement of said gun about itselevation laying axis to said orienting disc in the same direction ofrotation but through a reduced turning angle.

6. A device for guiding an ammunition belt, comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition belt, an ammuniiton orientingdisc disposed adjacent said supply 'duct forming together with thelatter a guide track for said belt, said orienting disc having an axiscoinciding with said elevation laying axis and being rotatable aboutsaid elevation laying axis relative to said supply duct, a reductiongearing including a driving part and a driven part, said driving partbeing secured to said gun and said driven part being secured to saidorienting disc, said reduction gearing being adapted to transmit aturning movement of said gun about its elevation laying axis to saidorienting disc in the same direction of rotation but through a reducedturning angle.

7. A device for guiding an ammunition belt, comprising in combination agun including a supply duct and capable of being laid in elevation aboutan elevation laying axis, an ammunition belt, an ammunition orientingdisc disposed adjacent said supply duct forming together with the lattera guide track for said belt, said orienting disc having an axiscoinciding with said elevation laying axis and being rotatable aboutsaid elevation laying axis relative to said supply duct, a reductiongearing having a driving part, an intermediate part and a driven part,said reduction gearing including supporting means for said intermediatepart, said gun and said orienting disc being rotatable relative to saidsupporting means, said driving part being secured to said gun and saiddriven part being secured to said orienting disc, said reduction gearingbeing adapted to transmit a turning movement of said gun about itselevation laying axis to said orienting disc in the same direction ofrotation but through a reduced turning angle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,300,602 Trotter et al Nov. 3, 1942 2,649,840 Davidson Aug. 25, 19532,936,677 Vickers May 17, 1960

